The Collected Enchantments, page 1
Table of Contents
Introduction: Why I Write Fantasy
Why You Might Be a Witch
The Rose in Twelve Petals
The Ogress Queen
Rose Child
The Rapid Advance of Sorrow
Lady Winter
Shoes of Bark
Miss Emily Gray
The Witch
Binnorie
The Wings of Meister Wilhelm
The Egg in Twelve Scenes
Vivian to Merlin
In Autumn
Seven Shoes
The Clever Serving-Maid
Princess Lucinda and the Hound of the Moon
The Cinder Girl Burns Brightly
The Stepsister’s Tale
Lily, With Clouds
The Gold-Spinner
Rumpelstiltskin
Singing of Mount Abora
The Dragons
Thumbelina
In the Forest of Forgetting
Autumn’s Song
Green Man
Sleeping With Bears
Goldilocks and the Bear
The Bear’s Wife
Professor Berkowitz Stands on the Threshold
Persephone in Hades
The Princess and the Peas
Blanchefleur
Rapunzel
The Sorceress in the Tower
Fair Ladies
Swan Girls
The Gentleman
Christopher Raven
Ravens
The Fox Wife
Reynalda
Mr. Fox
The Mysterious Miss Tickle
Lessons with Miss Gray
The Witch-Girls
The Witch’s Cat
Pip and the Fairies
Tam Lin Remembers the Fairy Queen
The Fairies’ Gifts
Snow, Blood, Fur
When You Have Lost Yourself
The Mermaid’s Lament
Conversations with the Sea Witch
Diamonds and Toads
Medusa Gets a Haircut
The Other Thea
Mother Night
The Red Shoes
Red as Blood and White as Bone
Girl, Wolf, Woods
In the Snow Queen’s Castle
A Country Called Winter
How to Make It Snow
Snow White Learns Witchcraft
How to Become a Witch-Queen
Mirror, Mirror
The River’s Daughter
Saint Orsola and the Poet
The Nightingale and the Rose
Your House
Copyright Information
The Collected Enchantments
Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. All characters, names, locations, and events portrayed in this book are fictional or used in an imaginary manner to entertain, and any resemblance to any real people, situations, or incidents is purely coincidental.
Cover art © 2023 by Catrin Welz-Stein, catrinwelzstein.com.
All rights reserved.
Interior illustrations © 2023 by Paula Arwen Owen, arwendesigns.net.
All rights reserved.
Cover design © 2023 by Mike Allen, Brett Massé, and Sydney Macias.
All rights reserved.
FIRST EDITION
February 14, 2023
Hardback ISBN: 978-1-7326440-7-6
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-956522-02-0
E-Book ISBN: 978-1-7326440-8-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022950427
Published by Mythic Delirium Books
mythicdelirium.com
“Introduction: Why I Write Fantasy” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“Why You Might Be a Witch” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“The Rose in Twelve Petals” first appeared in Realms of Fantasy, April 2002. Copyright © 2002 by Theodora Goss.
“The Ogress Queen” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Rose Child” first appeared in Uncanny Magazine 13, November/December 2016. Copyright © 2016 by Theodora Goss.
“The Rapid Advance of Sorrow” first appeared in Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet 11, November 2002.
“Lady Winter” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“Shoes of Bark” first appeared in Mythic Delirium 27, Summer/Fall 2012. Copyright © 2012 by Theodora Goss.
“Miss Emily Gray” first appeared in Alchemy 2, August 2004. Copyright © 2004 by Theodora Goss.
“The Witch” first appeared in Heliotrope, Fall 2007. Copyright © 2007 by Theodora Goss.
“Binnorie” first appeared in Mythic Delirium 24, Winter/Spring 2011. Copyright © 2011 by Theodora Goss.
“The Wings of Meister Wilhelm” first appeared in Polyphony 4, September 2004. Copyright © 2004 by Theodora Goss.
“The Egg in Twelve Scenes” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“Vivian to Merlin” first appeared in Mythic Delirium 27, Summer/Fall 2012. Copyright © 2012 by Theodora Goss.
“In Autumn” first appeared in Daily Science Fiction, November 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Theodora Goss.
“Seven Shoes” first appeared in Uncanny Magazine 16, May/June 2017. Copyright © 2017 by Theodora Goss.
“The Clever Serving-Maid” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Princess Lucinda and the Hound of the Moon” first appeared in Realms of Fantasy, June 2007. Copyright © 2007 by Theodora Goss.
“The Cinder Girl Burns Brightly” first appeared in Uncanny Magazine 28, May/June 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“The Stepsister’s Tale” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Lily, With Clouds” first appeared in Alchemy 1, December 2003. Copyright © 2003 by Theodora Goss.
“The Gold-Spinner” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Rumpelstiltskin” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Singing of Mount Abora” first appeared in Logorrhea: Good Words Make Good Stories, ed. John Klima, Bantam Books, 2007. Copyright © 2007 by Theodora Goss.
“The Dragons” first appeared in The Book of Dragons, ed. Jonathan Strahan, Harper Voyager, 2020. Copyright © 2020 by Theodora Goss.
“Thumbelina” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“In the Forest of Forgetting” first appeared in Realms of Fantasy, October 2003. Copyright © 2003 by Theodora Goss.
“Autumn’s Song” first appeared in Songs for Ophelia, Papaveria Press, 2014. Copyright © 2014 by Theodora Goss.
“Green Man” first appeared in Songs for Ophelia, Papaveria Press, 2014. Copyright © 2014 by Theodora Goss.
“Sleeping With Bears” first appeared in Strange Horizons, November 2003. Copyright © 2003 by Theodora Goss.
“Goldilocks and the Bear” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“The Bear’s Wife” first appeared in Mythic Delirium, April 2016. Copyright © 2016 by Theodora Goss.
“Professor Berkowitz Stands on the Threshold” first appeared in Polyphony 2, April 2003. Copyright © 2003 by Theodora Goss.
“Persephone in Hades” first appeared in Uncanny Magazine 22, May/June 2018. Copyright © 2018 by Theodora Goss.
“The Princess and the Peas” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“Blanchefleur” first appeared in Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales, Prime Books, 2013. Copyright © 2013 by Theodora Goss.
“Rapunzel” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“The Sorceress in the Tower” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“Fair Ladies” first appeared in Apex Magazine 15, August 2010. Copyright © 2010 by Theodora Goss.
“Swan Girls” first appeared in Strange Horizons, October 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Theodora Goss.
“The Gentleman” first appeared in Mythic Delirium 21, Summer/Fall 2009. Copyright © 2009 by Theodora Goss.
“Christopher Raven” first appeared in Ghosts by Gaslight: Stories of Steampunk and Supernatural, eds. Jack Dann and Nick Gevers, Harper Voyager, 2011. Copyright © 2011 by Theodora Goss.
“Ravens” first appeared in Goblin Fruit, Autumn 2010. Copyright © 2010 by Theodora Goss.
“The Fox Wife” first appeared in Tor.com, April 16, 2013. Copyright © 2013 by Theodora Goss.
“Reynalda” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“Mr. Fox” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“The Mysterious Miss Tickle” is original to thi
“Lessons with Miss Gray” first appeared in Fantasy Magazine 2, May 2005. Copyright © 2005 by Theodora Goss.
“The Witch-Girls” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“The Witch’s Cat” first appeared in Enchanted Living 48, Autumn 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Pip and the Fairies” first appeared in Strange Horizons, October 2005. Copyright © 2005 by Theodora Goss.
“Tam Lin Remembers the Fairy Queen” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“The Fairies’ Gifts” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“Snow, Blood, Fur” first appeared in Daily Science Fiction, November 17, 2017. Copyright © 2017 by Theodora Goss.
“When You Have Lost Yourself” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“The Mermaid’s Lament” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“Conversations with the Sea Witch” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Diamonds and Toads” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Medusa Gets a Haircut” first appeared in Uncanny Magazine 38, January/February 2021. Copyright © 2021 by Theodora Goss.
“The Other Thea” first appeared in The Starlit Wood, Saga Press, 2016. Copyright © 2016 by Theodora Goss.
“Mother Night” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“The Red Shoes” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Red as Blood and White as Bone” first appeared in Tor.com, May 4, 2016. Copyright © 2016 by Theodora Goss.
“Girl, Wolf, Woods” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“In the Snow Queen’s Castle” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“A Country Called Winter” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“How to Make It Snow” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Snow White Learns Witchcraft” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“How to Become a Witch-Queen” first appeared in Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery, eds. Rachel Autumn Deering and Christopher Golden, Titan Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Mirror, Mirror” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“The River’s Daughter” first appeared in Songs for Ophelia, Papaveria Press, 2014. Copyright © 2014 by Theodora Goss.
“Saint Orsola and the Poet” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
“The Nightingale and the Rose” first appeared in Snow White Learns Witchcraft, Mythic Delirium Books, 2019. Copyright © 2019 by Theodora Goss.
“Your House” is original to this collection. Copyright © 2023 by Theodora Goss.
Our gratitude goes out to the following who because of their generosity are from now on designated as supporters of Mythic Delirium Books: Saira Ali, Cora Anderson, Anonymous, Patricia M. Cryan, Steve Dempsey, Oz Drummond, Patrick Dugan, Matthew Farrer, C. R. Fowler, Mary J. Lewis, Paul T. Muse, Jr., Shyam Nunley, Finny Pendragon, Kenneth Schneyer, and Delia Sherman.
Introduction: Why I Write Fantasy
Imagine a girl, about twelve years old. She is sitting on a bench under a tree, reading a book. It is recess—this is in the days when schools had still had a proper recess after lunch—and the other children in her class are engaged in a game of kickball, except three girls who are sitting on the hillside overlooking the field, talking about their favorite celebrity crushes. But this girl is not interested in kickball—she is incapable of kicking the red rubber ball in the correct direction, or of catching it once it has been kicked. When she is required to play, during gym class, she always goes out into the field, between second and third base, to get as far away from the ball as possible. She does not understand why anyone would play kickball for fun. And her most recent crush was on Robin Hood, not exactly the sort of figure one can gossip about. (“Robin who? Is he in a band?” most of the girls in her class would say.) When she grows up, she wants to be either a writer or a sorceress, preferably with a tame dragon, a small one that can sit on her shoulder, sort of like a winged, scaly cat. She will live in a tower deep in the forest, far away from anyone, and either write or whatever sorceresses do. Either of those seem like good life goals.
That was me in elementary school. What was I reading? Probably one of the Narnia books, or The Hobbit, or something by E. Nesbit, Edward Eager, Astrid Lindgren—The Brothers Lionheart was my favorite. Later I would graduate to Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series, Tanith Lee’s Flat Earth novels, Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea trilogy, Patricia McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, Madeleine L’Engel’s A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels. Some of the books I read were of higher quality than others, but I was not concerned with quality until much later. What I wanted was a magical secondary world—Pern, Earthsea, Narnia, Middle Earth. I did not realize until I was an adult why this particular aspect of fantasy was important for me: it spoke to my reality as an immigrant.
English was my third language. I was born in Budapest, Hungary, in the days of the Soviet Union, when there was still an Iron Curtain across Europe. The first books I read were collections of Hungarian and other European fairy tales. When I was five years old, my mother left Hungary, taking me with her, leaving behind the family and culture she had grown up in, for the hope of a better life in America. We moved first to Italy, then Belgium, and finally the United States, where I started school, speaking very little English—at that point I knew only Hungarian and French, and my Hungarian was fading fast. I remember the strangeness of encountering a new culture, with new food, new customs. Television taught me to ask for Wonder Bread and Campbell’s Soup from a can, to watch Saturday morning cartoons. Hungary became a country I vaguely remembered. Soon, I could no longer speak its language. Its food was served ceremoniously on special occasions: madártej and beigli at Christmas, húsos palacsinta at the parties my mother would occasionally throw for colleagues from work. We observed its special customs, celebrating our name days and Mikulás, the day Szent Miklós left chocolates and small presents in my shoes. We painted eggs at Easter. My mother still cursed in Hungarian, so I came to associate the language with powerful, forbidden words. To me, Hungary was a magical land—one to which we could not return because of the political situation. It might as well have been Narnia.
As an adult, I read two essays that define for me what fantasy is and can be. The first was Le Guin’s “A Citizen of Mondath” in her collection The Language of the Night. In it, she says that she first discovered the power of fantasy through reading Lord Dunsay’s A Dreamer’s Tales, in which he mentioned Mondath, one of the mysterious Inner Lands, “the lands whose sentinels upon their borders do not behold the sea.” Le Guin calls that reading experience “decisive. I had discovered my native country.” My native country is one of the Inner Lands. That is, Hungary is landlocked, bordered only by other countries, although it contains Lake Balaton, the largest freshwater lake in Europe, often called the Hungarian Sea. In Le Guin’s first serious attempt at a fantasy novel, she created the country of Orsinia, from her own name, Ursula (meaning “little she-bear”). The Latin ursinus, meaning bearlike, gives us the surname Orsini. Orsinia, located somewhat vaguely in Central Europe, was Ursula Country, although she had never been to Central Europe herself—that part of the world was essentially Narnia to her as well. I loved Le Guin’s Orsinian Tales, short stories set in her imaginary country. To me, they felt like home.
The second essay, actually the first chapter in an academic monograph, was by Katherine Hume. In Fantasy and Mimesis: Responses to Reality in Western Literature, Hume argues that “literature is the product of two impulses. These are mimesis, felt as the desire to imitate, to describe events, people, situations, and objects with such verisimilitude that others can share your experiences; and fantasy, the desire to change givens and alter reality.” In this formulation, fantasy is not a genre but a mode, a way of approaching literature and the primary world it inevitably describes—because as J.R.R. Tolkien points out in “On Fairy-Stories,” writing is always ultimately about our world, the one we inhabit. Fantasy approaches and examines that word in a different way, but there would be no Pegasus without the horse. Perhaps I should have added Tolkien’s essay to my list of influences, and it certainly is, but I read it later than I read Le Guin and Hume, so by the time he told me that fantasy can give us three fundamental things we all need in our lives, escape, recovery, and consolation, I already agreed with his argument. Those are certainly three things fantasy gave the twelve-year-old girl avoiding a kickball game by traveling in Nangiyala. What Hume taught me, around the time I started writing fantasy professionally myself, was that fantasy is neither separate from the larger world of fiction, nor fundamentally different from it. Both fantasy and realism are approaches to the world we inhabit. Indeed, once enough time has passed, all realism becomes fantastical. To us, living in the twenty-first century, the characters in Jane Austen’s novels are as unreal as Tolkien’s elves, as bound by strange customs, as obsessed with rings.
